When you hear the name Spike Lee what comes to mind? For most people the first thing that will come to mind would be a character from his first feature film She's Gotta Have It; Mars Blackmon. Who in turn got the attention of Nike's marketing team and got a deal to produce commercials with Michael Jordan marketing the air Jordan sneakers. Some may think of Spike Lee for the award nominations and the acclaim that his films received while others may simply think of how good the films were. I wonder though, how many people will realize how much he pushed the envelope with his films? Who will say that he opened a ton of doors for African American film directors? Maybe they'll wait until he has passed to say what a great man he was and how we should recognize him for his actions and his advances in America. If you read L&F then you know my theory is "why wait?". Why wait until someone has died to recognize them? I want to recognize Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee right now for everything that he has done for African American's on a whole in America. I remember the humorous character Mars Blackmon and I remember Do The Right Thing but what I also remember is that the setting for most of his movies is Brooklyn, New York; the borough that he grew up in. It's so easy for people to run away from their past, go somewhere new and create yourself in the image that you think people will accept. Its so easy for someone to simply become someone else when they achieve a certain level of success. Most people would distance themselves from the places that they grew up in and never mention the fact that they had to struggle. It's so easy for people to assimilate once they reach a certain level of success but I just want to say thank you to Spike Lee for being a positive role model. I want to thank Spike Lee for being a positive example and showing us all that you don't have to change who you are. I could have spoken about the numerous projects that Spike Lee has worked on and the endless deals that he has signed but instead I chose to speak of the reason's that I will remember Spike Lee.
Of all my pictures, I am most proud of this one.
SoHo
